Broom apparatus with rotating bristles

ABSTRACT

A rotating broom apparatus for providing a spinning, manual powered cleaning apparatus. The rotating broom apparatus comprises a brush head disposed between a two spinning gears, with the teeth of the spinning gears meshing with the teeth of two corresponding wheel gears attached to a left wheel and a right wheel. As such, when the wheels spin in a first direction, the wheel gears are rotated in the first direction and cause the spinning gears to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction. By this action, rotating the wheels in the first direction causes the brush head to rotate in the second direction.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and incorporates by reference co-pending

U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/947,148 filed Mar. 3, 2014.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a cleaning apparatus and, more particularly, to a broom apparatus configured with bristles which rotate when the broom apparatus is pushed forward.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The construction and use of various styles of brooms is well known. Brooms typically comprise a brush defined by a plurality of stiff fibers and an elongated handle. Brooms are customarily operated by a user who grasps the handle uses it to drag the bristles over a surface which is to be cleaned. A problem which still exists, however, is that conventional broom designs, whether regular straight brooms or push/pull brooms, employ static bristles which are generally inferior to devices with moving bristles, such as vacuums for cleaning surfaces. But while devices with moving bristles are better able to move debris on a surface, they typically require electrical power to operate. Thus, there remains a need for a broom apparatus which employs rotating bristles to move debris from a surface. It would be helpful if such a rotating broom apparatus utilized only manually generated motion to rotate the bristles. It would be additionally desirable for such a rotating broom apparatus to employ a plurality of different gears to enable the bristles to be rotated in a desired direction.

The Applicant's invention described herein provides for a wheeled broom apparatus adapted to allow a user to generate rotation of the bristles by pushing it on a surface. The primary components in Applicant's rotating broom apparatus are a handle, wheels, gears, and bristles. When in operation, the rotating broom apparatus enables more effective and efficient cleaning of a surface than conventional broom apparatus without requiring the provision of electrical power. As a result, many of the limitations imposed by prior art structures are removed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A rotating broom apparatus for providing a spinning, manual powered cleaning apparatus. The rotating broom apparatus comprises a brush head disposed between a two spinning gears, with the teeth of the spinning gears meshing with the teeth of two corresponding wheel gears attached to a left wheel and a right wheel. As such, when the wheels spin in a first direction, the wheel gears are rotated in the first direction and cause the spinning gears to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction. By this action, rotating the wheels in the first direction causes the brush head to rotate in the second direction. In this regard, the wheels combine to provide two wheel means for rolling along a ground surface, the brush head provides a brush means for sweeping, and the spinning gears and wheel gears provide a transmission means for transferring rotation from the two wheel means to the brush means.

It is an object of this invention to provide a broom apparatus which employs rotating bristles to move debris from a surface.

It is another object of this invention to provide a rotating broom apparatus that utilizes only manually generated motion to rotate the bristles.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a rotating broom apparatus that employs a plurality of different gears to enable the bristles to be rotated in a desired direction.

These and other objects will be apparent to one of skill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the gear system of a rotating broom apparatus built in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the a rotating broom apparatus built in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings and in particular FIGS. 1 and 2, the gear system 10 of a rotating broom apparatus 20 includes a wheel 11, a first gear 12 and a second gear 13. The first gear 12 is fixedly attached to the wheel 11 so that it rotates with the wheel. In this regard when the wheel 11 is directed in a moving direction 14, the first gear 12 also moves in the moving direction 14. The second gear 13 is rotatably attached to wheel 11 through an axle 21 a such that its movement is independent of the wheel.

The teeth 12 a of the first gear 12 mesh with the teeth 13 a of the second gear 13 so as to form a transmission. The transmission formed by the first gear 12 and the second gear 13 operates to cause the second gear 13 to be rotated in a spinning direction 15 whenever the first gear 12 moves in the moving direction 14.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the rotating broom apparatus 20 is defined a brush head 21 disposed between a left second gear 13′ and a right second gear 13″, with the teeth of the left second gear 13′ meshing with the teeth of the left first gear 12′ and the teeth of the right second gear 13″ meshing with the teeth of the right first gear 12″, and the left first gear 12′ attached to a left wheel 11′ and the right first gear 12″ attached to a right wheel 11″. The left second gear 13′ and right second gear 13″, left first gear 12′ and right first gear 12″, and the left wheel 11′ and right wheel 11″ are mirror images of one another and constructed as the second gear 13, first gear 12, and wheel 11, respectively, of FIG. 1. As such, when the wheels 11′, 11″ spin in a first direction, the first gears 12′, 12″ are rotated in the first direction and cause the second gears 13′, 13″ to rotate in a second direction opposite the first direction. By this action, rotating the wheels in the first direction causes the brush head 21, defined by the rigid axle 21 a having a plurality of radially disposed bristles 21 b thereon, to rotate in the second direction.

The wheels 11′, 11″ are rotated when on a substantially flat surface by manual force, typically applied through the handle 22. The handle 22 includes a main section 22 a which enables a user to grasp it, and two attachment sections 22 b which extend from the main section 22 a in opposing directions and then each attach to a central shaft on one of the wheels 11′, 11″ and the first gears 12′, 12″ in a manner which enables the wheels 11′, 11″ and the first gears 12′, 12″ to rotate about the respective attachment sections 22 b. As a result, a user grasping the main section 22 a of the rotating broom apparatus 20 can simply push (or pull) the rotating broom apparatus 20 in a first direction and, through solely the manual force supplied by the user, cause the brush head 21 to spin in the opposite direction.

In an alternate embodiment, the second gear is smaller than the first gear, providing mechanical advantage to enable the brush head to spin faster than the wheels are turning.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A rotating broom apparatus, comprising: a brush head assembly connected at one end to a left wheel and at one end to a right wheel, wherein said brush head assembly includes an axle, a brush head, and at least one spinning gear; at least one wheel gear connected to at least one of the left wheel and right wheel, wherein each of said at least one wheel gears is configured to rotate the same direction as the wheel to which it is connected; and said brush head assembly oriented such that the at least one spinning gear meshes with the at least one wheel gear and configured such that rotation of the at least one wheel gear in a first direction causes the at least one spinning gear and the brush head to rotate in a direction opposite the first direction.
 2. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein said brush head assembly is rotatably connected at one end to the left wheel and at one end to the right wheel.
 3. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein said brush head assembly includes an axle, a brush head, and two spinning gears.
 4. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 3, wherein one wheel gear is connected to the left wheel and one wheel gear is connected to the right wheel.
 5. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein one wheel gear is connected to the left wheel and one wheel gear is connected to the right wheel.
 6. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one wheel gear is fixedly connected to at least one of the left wheel and right wheel.
 7. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 1, additionally comprising a handle member connected to the left wheel and the right wheel.
 8. A rotating broom apparatus, comprising: two wheel means for rolling along a ground surface; a brush means for sweeping; and at least one transmission means for transferring rotation from the two wheel means to the brush means.
 9. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 8, wherein two transmission means are included.
 10. The rotating broom apparatus of claim 9, wherein each of said transmission means are connected to one of said wheel means. 